Terri Davis, President of Route 91 Nation, poses for a photo at the Clark County Government Center Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2023.
Saturday, Sept. 30, 2023 | 2 a.m.
Route 91 Harvest Music Festival mass shooting survivor Terri Davis was hoping the mental scars from that night would eventually deteriorate.
But seemingly every day she pictures the chaos from the night in her head, reigniting the trauma.
It’s as if it happened yesterday — not six years Sunday.
But Davis, a local middle-school teacher, is hoping to turn that trauma into good by being part of Route 91 Nation, a nonprofit organization that raises money to fund college scholarships and greater access to therapy in the community.
Route 91 Nation has helped over a dozen students pursue higher education through scholarships made in honor of those affected by the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history.
It left 58 immediately dead, more than 800 wounded or hurt in the ensuing panic, and deeply affected seemingly every Las Vegas Valley resident.
“No matter how far removed we are from it, those of us who were there and those of us who were affected by it, we will live with it for the rest of our lives,” Davis said. “(Route 91) is part of me now, and it’s a part of 22,000 plus other people’s lives.”
Route 91 Nation’s works can be attributed to the success of its partnership with Wilson Creek Winery and Vineyards.
The tie to the Route 91 festival is personal for Bill Wilson, the CEO of the Temecula, Calif.,-based winery. Wilson, his wife and daughter, and some of the winery’s staff were concertgoers enjoying a night in Las Vegas when the shooting started.
Shortly after, they decided to give back by creating specialty wines to fundraise for organizations connected to the Route 91 community, said Wendy Holder, the winery’s vice president of marketing. Wilson Creek Winery’s annual Giving Back campaign is in its fifth year.
“The family, once they experienced what they experienced, they really wanted to help (because) this is something close to them,” Holder said.
Route 91 Nation offers students across the United States “who desire to create a better community” scholarships ranging from $500 to $10,000. Scholarship applicants do not have to be a survivor or be related to anyone affected by the shooting.
There are three scholarships: Heroes in the Community, Community Awareness and the Live Like Bailey Memorial Scholarship.
The Live Like Bailey Memorial Scholarship was organized by Davis and the parents of Bailey Dee Schweitzer, a 20-year-old Bakersfield, Calif., native who was one of the youngest to die as a result of the shooting. Schweitzer wanted to become a teacher.
Each focuses on the recipient’s commitment to helping their community through becoming a first responder, volunteering or working with children.
The organization was created by Cody Jones, a college student and survivor of the Route 91 shooting who lost her scholarship after post-traumatic stress disorder caused her grades to dip. Jones realized she wasn’t the only student affected by being at the shooting.
That was when Jones came up with the idea to create Route 91 Nation.
“Out of the horrificness of that night, if we couldn’t bring about good, what’s the point?” Davis said.
She stressed that the crux of their mission is to not only help students, but also make sure that nobody forgets what happened the night of Oct. 1 and create a shining light from out of the tragedy.
Their team of two has since grown into four with the additions of treasurer Bobbie Jones and secretary Jose Orozco, both fellow survivors.
Most of their funding has come from grants and fundraisers through their Facebook page.
Davis found out about Wilson Creek Winery’s Giving Back campaign through her friends in another Route 91-associated nonprofit, the Country Strong Project — which was selected for Wilson Creek Winery’s campaign last year. She asked her friends on the board to connect them with Wilson Creek Winery, and this year’s fundraiser was born.
There are four wines available in support of Route 91 Nation: a $39.99 cabernet blend, $34.99 chardonnay and two $29.99 sparkling wines in peach bellini or almond flavors. A portion of the proceeds from each purchase will go directly to Route 91 Nation, Holder said.
Route 91 Nation and Wilson Creek Winery collaborated to create the commemorative label, with the group of eight survivors associated with the Wilsons putting the labels on the bottles themselves in a “labeling party.”
The winery officially released the Route 91 Nation wines Sept. 12, and they already have seen an influx of community support, especially from fellow survivors. Holder said sales typically pick up around the anniversary of the shooting and can last into the holidays.
Some of that community response can be seen in the comments on Wilson Creek Winery and Route 91 Nation’s pages, with many pledging support and promising to grab a bottle.
“My absolute favorite (Champagne) and winery,” Jennifer Thackrah commented on a Sept. 5 post from Route 91 Nation. “It’s a beautiful message to remember those souls tragically lost and those that live through the memory. Oct. 1 is around the corner.”
For Davis and the Route 91 Nation team, this fundraiser is a “night and day” difference from their previous efforts. All four of the group members have full-time jobs outside of their nonprofit work, so Davis said the support from Wilson Creek Winery has lifted a weight from their shoulders.
It will also give the group more chances to spread the word about their organization and raise more money, she added. In mid-October, Davis will travel to the winery and have a table at an annual benefit concert featuring country singer-songwriter Brantley Gilbert.
A few guitars signed by Gilbert will be sold during the concert, with proceeds also going to Route 91 Nation. Holder said the guitars can sometimes sell for upwards of $5,000, depending on the audience and artist.
Davis said it was events like these and the support of the community that allowed them to continue helping students — whether touched by the Route 91 tragedy or not.
“We have to prove that there’s good, we have to keep bringing people together in a positive way, we have to keep making a positive difference,” Davis said. “Every dollar we get is another dollar that gets to change the world.”
Wines can be purchased online at shop.wilsoncreekwinery.com/store-search.html?searchfor=Route+91+NATION.
